﻿FIFTH 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  THE 
  DIRECTOR 
  I908 
  2/ 
  

  

  PALEONTOLOGY 
  

  

  Early 
  Devonic 
  faunas. 
  The 
  work 
  of 
  the 
  paleontologist 
  on 
  this 
  

   subject, 
  which 
  has 
  been 
  in 
  process 
  during 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  years, 
  has 
  

   now 
  been 
  brought 
  to 
  a 
  conclusion 
  so 
  far 
  as 
  concerns 
  its 
  scope 
  as 
  ex- 
  

   pressed 
  in 
  volumes 
  i 
  and 
  2 
  of 
  Memoir 
  9. 
  The 
  second 
  volume 
  of 
  

   the 
  memoir 
  is 
  now 
  entirely 
  printed. 
  The 
  contents 
  of 
  volume 
  i 
  

   were 
  largely 
  devoted 
  to 
  a 
  close 
  comparison 
  of 
  the 
  Devonic 
  faunas 
  

   of 
  Gaspe, 
  Quebec 
  with 
  those 
  of 
  New 
  York. 
  In 
  volume 
  2 
  these 
  

   comparisons 
  are 
  extended 
  to 
  the 
  faunas 
  of 
  Dalhousie, 
  N. 
  B., 
  north- 
  

   eastern 
  and 
  northern 
  Maine. 
  The 
  data 
  available 
  for 
  these 
  studies 
  

   have 
  been 
  somewhat 
  comprehensive 
  and 
  are 
  drawn 
  from 
  regions 
  

   which 
  have 
  heretofore 
  elicited 
  but 
  slight 
  attention 
  from 
  geologists. 
  

   The 
  array 
  of 
  facts 
  therefrom 
  presented 
  has 
  thus 
  in 
  considerable 
  

   measure 
  the 
  value 
  of 
  new 
  knowledge 
  and 
  the 
  conclusions 
  of 
  

   broader 
  import 
  bearing 
  on 
  the 
  origin 
  and 
  dispersion 
  of 
  the 
  faunas 
  

   and 
  also 
  indicative 
  of 
  the 
  ancient 
  geography 
  of 
  the 
  continent 
  are 
  

   here 
  restated. 
  

  

  General 
  conclusions 
  

  

  From 
  the 
  considerations 
  given 
  based 
  chiefly 
  on 
  the 
  analyses 
  of 
  

   the 
  faunas 
  we 
  may 
  justl}'- 
  draw 
  some 
  reasonable 
  inferences 
  as 
  

   to 
  the 
  connections 
  of 
  the 
  northeast 
  basins 
  of 
  the 
  early 
  Devonic 
  

   A\ith 
  those 
  to 
  the 
  south 
  and 
  west. 
  Such 
  inferences 
  can 
  be 
  stated 
  

   only 
  as 
  probable 
  for 
  there 
  still 
  remains 
  in 
  eastern 
  Quebec 
  and 
  

   northern 
  jNIaine 
  an 
  extensive 
  area 
  whose 
  structure 
  is 
  insufficiently 
  

   known 
  to 
  afford 
  entire 
  security 
  in 
  indicating' 
  the 
  boundaries 
  of 
  

   these 
  passages. 
  Some 
  of 
  these 
  inferences 
  have 
  already 
  been 
  set 
  

   forth 
  in 
  their 
  proper 
  place 
  but 
  to 
  restate 
  them 
  briefly 
  we 
  conclude: 
  

  

  1 
  There 
  was 
  a 
  definite 
  and 
  clear 
  passage 
  from 
  Gaspe 
  into 
  New 
  

   York 
  and 
  the 
  more 
  southern 
  Appalachians 
  during 
  the 
  period 
  of 
  

   the 
  Helderbergian, 
  where 
  a 
  well 
  defined 
  element 
  of 
  the 
  Helder- 
  

   bergian 
  flourished 
  in 
  the 
  St 
  Alban 
  beds 
  at 
  the 
  base 
  of 
  the 
  Gaspe 
  

   limestone 
  scries. 
  

  

  2 
  A 
  similar 
  open 
  way 
  existed 
  at 
  approximately 
  or 
  actually 
  the 
  

   same 
  time, 
  connecting 
  the 
  Dalhousie 
  beds 
  of 
  northern 
  New 
  Bruns- 
  

   wick 
  with 
  the 
  Helderbergian 
  of 
  New 
  York. 
  

  

  3 
  That 
  these 
  two 
  passages 
  seem 
  to 
  have 
  converged 
  and 
  united 
  

   into 
  one 
  toward 
  the 
  west 
  and 
  south, 
  for 
  while 
  each 
  carries 
  a 
  clear 
  

   predominance 
  of 
  Helderberg 
  species, 
  the 
  two 
  have 
  comparatively 
  

   little 
  in 
  common, 
  the 
  fauna 
  of 
  one 
  representing 
  essentially 
  one 
  

   congeries, 
  that 
  of 
  tlie 
  other 
  a 
  dififerent 
  congeries 
  of 
  species 
  which 
  

   are 
  apparently 
  commingled 
  in 
  New 
  York. 
  

  

  